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DAY 17 OF FLIGHT 370 SEARCH: New satellite images appear to show that Flight 370, missing since March 8, crashed into the southern Indian Ocean without any survivors, Malaysian government and airline officials say. Based on evidence, Malaysia Airlines Chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Md Yusof wrote that “we must accept the painful reality that the aircraft is now lost and that none of the passengers or crew on board survived.” He continued: “While not entirely unexpected after an intensive multi-national search across a 2.24 million square mile area, this news is clearly devastating for the families of those on board. They have waited for over two weeks for even the smallest hope of positive news about their loved ones.” Read the full statement (http://bit.ly/1mk5jXG) or the International Business Times has more (http://bit.ly/1nW0wh5).

Cover story: See a commemoration of the flight on today’s version of The Star, a tabloid-sized paper in Malaysia. Romenesko.com: http://bit.ly/1kZv5xJ

Not staying quiet: ALPA advised its members not to speculate on the cause of the disappearance, but not all pilots are happy want to stay quiet. Captain Terrance W. MacDonald wrote in to MT to say that “all aviation industry comments might cause investigators to look where they have not been looking and those ideas might lead to finding the aircraft. The families of the passengers on MH370 need answers soon.”

OUT TODAY — Cruising for a bruising: The NTSB holds a forum on cruise ship safety and oversight, and Rep. Doris Matsui has a statement today taking a swipe at the agency for not including passengers: “While I commend the NTSB for turning its attention to the important issue of cruise vessel safety, I am disappointed that the cruise victims’ advocacy groups were once again left out in the cold. Cruise vessel safety goes beyond ship design and vessel operations and extends to the physical security of passengers and crew members,” she says in a statement today provided early to MT.

Flunking freight: The American Chemistry Council, which represents companies that rely on rail shipping, puts out a “U.S. Freight Rail Policy Report Card” designed to highlight its many complaints with current shipping regulations. Each of five categories gets a grade, comments and suggested congressional action. There are three Ds and one F, and the only good grade (A) is for “allow rail carriers to earn adequate revenues.” Check it out: http://bit.ly/1m2LIsj

TUESDAY, MARCH 25. Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports, where on this day in 1634, Maryland was founded by English colonists. The state later ceded some of its land along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers to create the District of Columbia in 1790. Please be in touch: asnider@politico.com and @AdamKSnider.

SOUTHWEST ANNOUNCES NEW DCA FLIGHTS: Southwest Airlines announced seven new routes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, part of the slot shuffle at the airport closest to the Capitol after the American-US merger. The Dallas-based Southwest will serve Chicago Midway with nine daily round-trip flights by the end of September. Nashville will get three flights and New Orleans gets two per day, both starting in August. Tampa gets two flights in September and Akron-Canton, Dallas Love Field and Indianapolis each get routes starting in November. USA Today has more: http://usat.ly/1eGnJxy

GM UPDATES — Two senators’ requests: Sen. Dean Heller, the top Republican on the Senate Commerce consumer protection panel, wrote acting NHTSA head David Friedman asking why the agency didn’t investigate ignition problems after complaints. “Even with access to information directly from the manufacturer, the Office of Defects Investigation declined to move forward in both 2007 and 2010 on any vehicle recall recommendation,” the Nevada senator wrote. And Sen. Richard Blumenthal, one of the most active senators in the recall probe, is asking the DOJ to set up a fund to compensate victims of the defect. “This civil remedy could be done as an interim step, even before completing your criminal investigation and prosecution,” he wrote to AG Eric Holder. Letter: http://politico.pro/1jvIH1Z

Another class action filed: The recalls have spurred a rash of class action lawsuits. The latest accuses GM of concealing info on the scope of the ignition problems and is brought by 13 car owners in California, Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas and Vermont. Suit: http://politico.pro/OSBBuG

BOARDMAN ON BOARD WITH AFAC: Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman, who’s been seeking to change the transportation funding status quo, is a fan of the newly-created Alliance for American Competitiveness unveiled on Monday. “It is time to change the debate from simply keeping the Highway Trust Fund on life-support to a new approach that is focused on our economic future and national connectivity,” Boardman said in a statement. “Now is the time to act. The people out there-customers, constituents, citizens and taxpayers-want good and relevant transportation solutions that advance our national economic goals and help to keep our great country moving forward.”

MT READS TODAY’S FEDERAL REGISTER SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO: DOT issues a final rule updating its FOIA regulations after the close of a public comment period. The rule (http://1.usa.gov/1dI8JeK) incorporates FOIA changes signed into law in 2007 and 2009 and updates the fees. And the FRA unveils a final rule requiring that Class I railroads write and win approval for a “stress plan” for employees responding to a “critical incident,” which the rule also defines. Read it here: http://1.usa.gov/1lhoKQI

VMT BACK AND FORTH: Eno Center for Transportation President and CEO Joshua Schank wrote MT to push back at ARTBA’s memo (http://politico.pro/1oQUsTO) about a trend of Americans driving more. “It is tenuous at best to predict modest VMT increases going forward based on the last two years,” Schank wrote. He said that the minor bumps the last two years are “statistically insignificant” and the data shows VMT is “essentially the same since 2004” instead of the visible increases of previous decades. “This indicates a clear trend, and one that is likely independent of the recent recession. While the causes and length of this trend is still unknown, we cannot say with much confidence what might happen to VMT in the future.”

OFF-TRACK AT O’HARE: A CTA train derailed early Monday after running through the bumper at the end of the line at O’Hare Airport, injuring more than 30 people. The NTSB has sent a team to investigate the accident that ended up looking like the eight-car train tried to climb up an escalator. It could draw added attention from Illinois lawmakers amid extra scrutiny on passenger rail safety after Metro-North’s string of accidents. The Chicago Tribune has more: http://bit.ly/1hVtPc7

THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)

— Sen. Marco Rubio wants Florida to be friendly to Uber, which he sees as an example of American innovation. Kevin for Pros: http://politico.pro/1oWtEBH

THE COUNTDOWN: MAP-21 expires and DOT funding runs out in 190 days. FAA policy is up in 555 days. The mid-term elections are in 224 days and the 2016 presidential election is in 959 days. MLB’s Opening Day is in six days.

CABOOSE — Multimodal L.A.: This nice black-and-white picture from 1942 features cars, a bus and a streetcar on South Hill Street in Los Angeles. Shorpy: http://bit.ly/1jzuMbl

** Public transportation powers community growth through driving economic development and revitalizing neighborhoods. When you combine the broad economic impact public transportation has with the public and private companies that form the transportation industry, it allows us to turn every dollar invested in public transportation into four dollars of economic growth. That’s billions of dollars and millions of jobs today as we update and improve our nation’s infrastructure and build into the future. And with America’s shifting demographics toward cities and increasing hunger for the familiarity and convenience of close-knit communities, public transportation is more vital than ever. For a nation that has always sought out ever-smarter ways to connect and thrive, what’s been true for a century is true today: where public transportation goes, community grows. Visit publictransportation.org. **